Tether strengthened its Bitcoin position with a major purchase on New Year’s Eve.
The stablecoin issuer acquired 8,888 Bitcoin, pushing its disclosed holdings above 96,000 BTC. Chief executive Paolo Ardoino confirmed the move as 2025 came to a close.
The acquisition reinforced Tether’s status as one of the largest active corporate Bitcoin holders. Its primary Bitcoin address now ranks fifth globally.
Only major exchanges such as Binance, Robinhood, and Bitfinex hold more.
Among privately held companies, Tether ranks second. The purchase followed an established strategy.
Tether has committed to allocating up to 15% of its quarterly earnings into Bitcoin.
The latest addition was valued at roughly $780 million at the time of purchase.
The company has followed a similar pattern throughout the year. Bitcoin balances have risen after scheduled purchases, then occasionally declined.
Earlier in 2025, holdings briefly exceeded 100,000 BTC. Those fluctuations led to speculation that Tether was selling Bitcoin. Ardoino rejected those claims.
He said some transfers were linked to contributions to Twenty One Capital, a Tether-backed firm.
Twenty One Capital held 43,514 BTC as of New Year’s Day.
That places it among the largest Bitcoin-holding public companies.
Gold joins Bitcoin in reserve strategy
Bitcoin is only one part of Tether’s hard-asset strategy. The company has also been aggressively accumulating gold.
In the third quarter of 2025, Tether purchased 26 tons of gold.
The amount exceeded the quarterly purchases of any reporting central bank. Total gold holdings now stand at 116 tons. That places Tether among the world’s top 30 gold holders.
Alongside US Treasurys, Bitcoin and gold form the backbone of its reserves.
The mix has attracted criticism from analysts and ratings agencies.
S&P recently downgraded USDT’s rating from “constrained” to “weak.”
Concerns were raised over transparency and concentration risks.
Former exchange executive Arthur Hayes also questioned the growing exposure to volatile assets.
Corporate Bitcoin accumulation accelerates
Tether’s year-end purchase came amid a wider corporate push into Bitcoin.
Several companies expanded their treasuries during the final days of 2025.
Japan-listed Metaplanet added 4,279 BTC, lifting its total to 35,102.
Strategy (MSTR) continued raising equity and debt to fund further acquisitions. Its holdings now exceed 670,000 Bitcoin.
The trend highlights growing corporate confidence in Bitcoin as a long-term reserve asset. For Tether, the strategy signals a continued commitment to digital assets and commodities alike.